A holy trip group from Kerala is among those stranded in Israel amid the latter's conflict with Hamas.
A 40-member holy trip group that went from Kerala on October 3 is stranded in the strife-torn Israel. Some of the group members sent video messages to their relatives conveying that they were safe at hotels.
The group was on their way to Egypt on Saturday when the tension broke out. As directed by Israel security forces they returned to the hotel. They are also in touch with the Indian embassy officials in Tel Aviv.
There are also unconfirmed reports that the other holy trip groups from Kerala are also stranded there.
Earlier, there were reports that many Malayalis who went on similar holy trips to Israel had illegally migrated.
According to the Kerala government agency for NRIs, NORKA-Roots, there are around 7,000 Malayalis in Israel.
NORKA-Roots' chief executive officer Harikrishnan Namboothiri told DH that he was in constant touch with Malayali associations in Israel. They were advised by security to remain in shelters.
A large number of Malayali women are working as nurses in Israel. In 2021, a nurse from Idukki district, Soumya Santosh, was killed in a rocket attack in Israel.
(Published 08 October 2023, 13:19 IST)
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